Can We Pray to Angels

Some time back, a couple wrote to me saying they were childless for many years, and hence they were praying to the Archangel Gabriel for the gift of a child. Their line of thought was since angel Gabriel was instrumental in announcing the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, he too would be instrumental in blessing them with a child. I did not rebuke them but gently corrected them and prayed for them after showing them a few scriptures.

Like this dear couple, there are so many praying to angels for their various needs. So many parents encourage their little children to pray to their guardian angels. While this sounds very cute, it is not scriptural.

In order to support their argument of praying to angels, they quote Revelation 8:2-5

2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.

But if you notice carefully, it is not the people praying (interceding) to the angel. The angel was just acting as a messenger like in the book of Daniel aiding and delivering the answers from the praying saint to God and vice versa.

I have seen hundreds of books advertised on popular internet sites that tell you how to contact “your” angel. Some individuals present themselves as experts on angels encouraging their followers to love their angels and call upon them for health, healing, prosperity, guidance, romance etc. This is sheer deception and contrary to God’s Word.

One of the reasons people are deceived is because they look to the position or title of the person instead of getting into the word and seeing it so plainly.

There are several practical and theological reasons why praying to angels is wrong. (Today, I will be dealing with one just one)

1.Lord Jesus, Himself never prayed to anyone but the Father

Lord Jesus said, “Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? (Matthew 26:53)

Christ never prayed to (petitioned) anyone else but the Father. Even in His most difficult moments in the Garden of Gethsemane, He being the Son of God never petitioned angels directly, then who are you and I to do so?

If Lord Jesus had to pray to the Father to provide Him angels for protection, how can we directly pray to angels to come to our rescue?

When asked by His disciples to teach them to pray, He instructed them, “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven….(Matthew 6:9; Luke 11:2)

If disciples were to pray to angels, then wouldn’t this be the place where He would have instructed us to do so?

Can We Pray to Angels

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